Imaging of organelles by electron microscopy reveals protein-protein interactions in mitochondria and chloroplasts

Ongoing progress in electron microscopy (EM) offers now an opening to visualize cells at the nanoscale by cryo-electron tomography (ET). Large protein complexes can be resolved at near-atomic resolution by single particle averaging. Some examples from mitochondria and chloroplasts illustrate the possibilities with an emphasis on the membrane organization. Cryo-ET performed on non-chemically fixed, unstained, ice-embedded material can visualize specific large membrane protein complexes. In combination with averaging methods, 3D structures were calculated of mitochondrial ATP synthase at 6nm resolution and of chloroplast photosystem II at 3.5nm.